Instrument-tray.



PATENTED MAR. 5, 1907.

W. G. HULLHORST.

INSTRUMENT TRAY. APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 13, 1906.

2 SEEETSSHBBT 1.

WITNESSES:

INVENTOR.

' No. 846,030. PATENTED MAR. 5, 1907.

w. G. HULLHORST. INSTRUMENT TRAY.

7 APPLICATION FILED JAN. 13, I906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2,

WITNESSES INVENTOR 6. MLd/W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM G. HULLHORST, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE RANSOM & RANDOLPHCOMPANY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

INSTRUMENT-TRAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 5, 1907.

Application filed January 13, 1906. Serial No. 295,866.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM G. HULL- HORST, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Instrument-Trays; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters and figures ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to apparatus employed by dentists, surgeons, andthe like for sterilizing the instruments used by them; and it has forits object the provision of a simple, cheap, and efficient tray orreceptacle for holding dental, surgical, or other instruments of thekind both during their immersion in the sterilizing bath or vapors andwhile in the instrument-cabinet, the construction of which tray orreceptacle is such as to enable a plurality of instruments to be placedtherein with their points or operative ends free from contact with themetal or other material forming the tray, whereby during the sterilizingprocess the sterilizing vapors or gases may be permitted to freelyencircle the operative ends of the instruments and to reach all crevicesand parts of the instrument liable to carry bacterial organisms.

It is also the object of my invention to provide a pan or tray of thekind described the construction of which is such as to enable aplurality of them to be placed in superimposed position within thesterilizing-chamber in a manner whereby to permit the sterilizing vaporsor gases to freely circulate through and around each pan or tray to actupon the contents of each.

The invention is fully described in the following specification andillustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan ofthe pan or tray comprising the novel feature of my invention withseveral instruments positioned therein. Fig. 2 is a verticallongitudinal section of a plurality of superimposed pans or traysdisposed within a sterilizing-chamber. Fig. 3 is a cross-section ofoneof the pans or trays. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a modified form of myinvention; and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the modified tray orpan, taken on the dotted line 0c 90 in Fig. 4.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the draw ing, A represents the pan ortray comprising my invention and is shown in plan as being rectangularin form, but may be of any other desired shape without departing fromthe spirit of the invention. The bottom a of the pan or tray issurrounded by the customary vertical flange b and has a portion at oneend depressed or drawn outwardly to form an elongated depression oroutwardly-bulged portion 0 therein of any desired contour incrosssection. This depression or bulged portion has its ends severed anddrawn downwardly from the lower or bottom connecting edge of the flangeb to provide an opening (Z at each of such ends, through which thesterilizing vapors or gases are permitted to pass to or from theinterior of the pan or tray. The de pressed or bulged portion 0 alsoacts as an elevating means for one end of the pan or tray whereby thefluid resulting from the condensation of the sterilizing vapors or gasesis caused to flow to the opposite end thereof and to find an exittherefrom through the drain ports or openings 6 instead of accumu latingon the flat or major portion of the bottom whereon the handles of theinstruments B lie. This bulged formation of the bottom a is alsoimportant in the insuring of a perfect circulation of thesterilizing-vapors between and within the several pans or trays whenplaced in superimposed position, as the bulge, which is of suitablelength to pass freely between the side flanges b of a pan or tray ofcorresponding shape and size, seats upon the bottom of the pan or traynext be low or upon the handles of the instruments therein and elevatesthe corresponding end of its tray, so that the plane of its bottom atsuch end is above the plane of the upper edge of the flange I), whilethe other end of the tray rests upon and is supported by the flange atthe elevated or bulged end of the surmounted tray, each superimposedtray being reversely positioned to the one next below for this purpose,as shown in Fig. 2. In order to provide an open circulatingspace betweenthe upper edge of the flange b of one tray and the bulged end of thenext superimposed tray, as shown in Fig. 3, the bulged portion 0 of atray is made of slightly greater depth than the depth of the flange b.

This, however, is not essential, as the thickness of theinstrument-handles on which the bulge portion 0 seats tends to elevatethe end. of the tray sufliciently to provide a circulating-space betweenthe trays. A series of ribsf are shown as being formed on the uppersurface of the bottom a, at right angles to the depressed portion 0thereof, for the purpose of dividing the major portion of the bottominto two or more spaces for receiving instruments of differentclassifications, the spaces being sullicicntly wide to accommodate adesired number of instruments.

In Fig. 2 a plurality of trays carrying instruments are shown as beingdisposed in superimposed relation within a sterilizingchamber C, whichmay be of any suitable shape, size, or construction.

In Figs. 4 and 5, which illustrate a modified form of my invention, 1represents the major portion of the bottom of the pan or tray; 2, thedepressed or outwardly-drawn portionof the bottom; 3, the rim formingthe sides and ends of the receptacle; 4, the spaced ribs or raisedportions formed in the bottom 1; 5, the drainage-ports in the majorportion of the bottom, and 6 drainage-ports in the bottom of thedepressed portion 2. In this construction the ends of the depressed oroutwardly-drawn portion 2 are closed, as shown at 7 in Fig. 5, and inlieu of the openings provided in the ends of the depressed portion ofthe pan (shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3) it is provided in its bottom withone or more drainage-ports 6, through which the condensationofsterilizing-vapors, which would otherwise accumulate in the bottom ofsuch depressed portion, may pass. IVith this construction when the pansare placed in superimposed position the sterilizing vapors and gaseswill have free ingress and egress to and from the interior of each panthrough. the space left between the rim of one pan and the bottom of thepan next above, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

With either construction of pan or tray .it will be apparent that thedelicate and line pointed or edged instruments used by dentists,surgeons, and the like may be placed therein with their operative endsprojecting over the depressed portion of the pan or tray bottom, eitherfor the purpose of storage in the instrument-cabinet or forsterilization, whereby to prevent injury to such operative ends bycontact with the bottom and when placed in the sterilizing-bath topermit a free circulation of the sterilizing vapors or gases around theinstrument-points. It is also apparent that free access of thesterilizing-vapors to each pan of a series when placed in superimposedposition is insured.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A sterilizing utensil for surgical and the like instrumentsconsisting of a broad. shallow oblong tray having a portion of its bottom adjacent one edge bulged downward to form an external protuberanceand an internal trough-like depression extending parallel to said edge,and having the remainder of its bottom constituted as an expandedinstrument-receiving region provided with drainage-openings adjacent itsedge remote from said depression, said edge and protuberanceconstituting the supporting means for the tray and bearing such relativerelation that the instrument-receiving region is inclined downward fromsaid depression toward said drainage-openings.

2. A sterilizing utensil for surgical and like instruments consisting ofa broad shallow oblong tray having a small portion of its bottom severedat opposed edges from the remainder of the tray and bulged downwardbetween said severed edges to leave drainage and circulation openingsand also to constitute an external supportingprotuberance and aninternal depression.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specificationin the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM G. HULLHORST.

Witnesses:

O. W. OWEN, MARY I. SHAY.

